Best Small Cities In California: LIST

CALIFORNIA – Some of California's best cities come in smaller packages. According to personal finance website WalletHub, "small-city life can be best for those who appreciate more wiggle room, fewer degrees of separation and shorter commutes."

A new report by WalletHub ranked the best small cities in America, in an effort to help people choose the perfect small city to put down roots. Dozens of California cities made the list.

To determine which small cities outshine the rest, WalletHub compared more than 1,200 small U.S. cities across five key dimensions: affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life, and safety. Only cities with population sizes between 25,000 and 100,000 were included in the study.

Experts at the personal finance website then evaluated the five dimensions using 40 key indicators of livability, ranging from housing costs to school-system quality.

Because of the large sample of cities ranked in the study, WalletHub grouped cities by percentile. The 99th percentile represents the top 1 percent of small cities in America.

Los Altos was the only California city that ranked among the cities in the 99th percentile. The city in northern Silicon Valley ranked eighth in economic health, 81st in safety, 126th in education and health, 260th in quality of life, and 583rd in affordability.

A total of 105 California cities ranked among the top 50th percentile, according to WalletHub. (See the list below.)

These are the top 20 best small cities in America, according to WalletHub, with almost every city landing in the 99th percentile. Kirkland, Washington, ranked among the cities in the 98th percentile.

1. Leawood, Kansas
2. Carmel, Indiana
3. Princeton, New Jersey
4. Brentwood, Tennessee
5. Milton, Massachusetts
6. Needham, Massachusetts
7. Los Altos, California
8. Littleton, Colorado
9. Newtwon, Massachusetts
10. West Fargo, North Dakota
11. Arlington, Massachusetts
12. Melrose, Massachusetts
13. Fishers, Indiana
14. Wellesley, Massachusetts
15. Mason, Ohio
16. Franklin, Tenneesee
17. Southlake, Texas
18. Highland Park, Illinois
19. Westport, Connecticut
20. Kirkland, Washington

These are the 105 small cities in California that ranked among the top 50th percentile, according to WalletHub. Their percentile is in parenthesis.

1. Los Altos (99)
2. Saratoga (98)
3. Cupertino (97)
4. Palo Alto (96)
5. Pleasanton (95)
6. Dublin (95)
7. Yorba Linda (95)
8. Newport Beach (94)
9. Livermore (93)
10. Danville (93)
11. Belmont (92)
12. Mission Viejo (92)
13. Encinitas (91)
14. Los Gatos (91)
15. Foster City (91)
16. Folsom (91)
17. Rocklin (91)
18. San Clemente (89)
19. Aliso Viejo (89)
20. San Ramon (89)
21. Santa Barbara (89)
22. Menlo Park (89)
23. Mountain View (88)
24. Milpitas (87)
25. Claremont (87)
26. Martinez (87)
27. Laguna Hills (87)
28. San Carlos (87)
29. Petaluma (86)
30. Novato (86)
31. Redwood City (85)
32. Napa (85)
33. Rancho Santa Margarita (85)
34. San Rafael (85)
35. Morgan Hill (84)
36. Poway (84)
37. Camarillo (84)
38. Lake Forest (83)
39. Pacifica (82)
40. Campbell (82)
41. Redondo Beach (82)
42. San Mateo (81)
43. Laguna Niguel (81)
44. Dana Point (79)
45. Walnut Creek (79)
46. Windsor (79)
47. Lincoln (78)
48. Benicia (76)
49. Cypress (75)
50. Manhattan Beach (75)
51. Brentwood (75)
52. Santee (74)
53. Goleta (74)
54. Newark (74)
55. Burlingame (74)
56. Oakley (74)
57. Santa Monica (73)
58. San Bruno (72)
59. San Juan Capistrano (72)
60. Rancho Palos Verdes (72)
61. Moorpark (71)
62. Alameda (71)
63. San Marcos (71)
64. Fountain Valley (70)
65. Monterey (70)
66. South San Francisco (69)
67. Brea (69)
68. Union City (69)
69. Walnut (69)
70. Placentia (68)
71. Culver City (68)
72. Santa Cruz (67)
73. Rancho Cordova (67)
74. Gilroy (66)
75. Atascadero (66)
76. Vacaville (65)
77. Beverly Hills (65)
78. Palm Desert (65)
79. San Luis Obispo (64)
80. Pleasant Hill (64)
81. Vista (63)
82. Diamond Bar (62)
83. Chino Hills (61)
84. Rohnert Park (60)
85. Palm Springs (60)
86. La Habra (59)
87. La Mesa (59)
88. La Mirada (58)
89. Tustin (58)
90. La Verne (58)
91. Paradise (57)
92. Tracy (57)
93. Arcadia (56)
94. Buena Park (54)
95. West Sacramento (54)
96. Davis (54)
97. San Dimas (53)
98. Westminster (52)
99. Hollister (52)
100. Cerritos (52)
101. Glendora (52)
102. Beaumont (51)
103. Whittier (51)
104. Temple City (50)
105. West Hollywood (50)

Click here to read the full report. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news from your California neighborhood. Also, download the free Patch iPhone app or free Patch Android app. Also, be sure to follow your local Patch on Facebook!)

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